Silverdale-based Best of British Beer is celebrating a landmark achievement after co-founder Gill Sherwin picked up a prestigious national industry award.
Gill was named Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2026 Women in Beer Awards, held at Cloudwater Brew Co. Taproom in Manchester. The honour marks the company’s first industry award and comes during a record-breaking year for the business.
The accolade comes in a landmark year for Best of British Beer, which earlier celebrated its 15th anniversary with income topping the £3 million mark for the first time – an 11% increase on the previous year.
Gill, who founded the company alongside her husband Will, said she was both surprised and delighted to receive the award.
The Women in Beer Awards formed part of the Women in Beer Festival and celebrate excellence across a wide range of disciplines within the brewing industry.
A key milestone in the company’s journey came in 2022, when Will and Gill Sherwin transferred 51% ownership of the business to employees.
She said: “It was a huge surprise and honour to win Entrepreneur of the Year at the Women in Beer Awards.
“It is our first industry award, and it means so much to us at Best of British Beer. Huge congratulations to all my fellow finalists and winners.
“I was nominated without my knowledge, so I was very surprised when I was notified that I was a finalist. We’ve had a great couple of years and had significant growth since becoming employee owned, so although I won the award, it’s because of the work of the team.
“We’ve won business awards before but this was the first time we’ve had an industry award, so it’s very special.”
Gill said the awards highlighted the many different roles women play across the beer sector, both within and beyond brewing itself.
She added: “The world of brewing is male-dominated but I’ve always found it to be a very inclusive and supportive industry.
“However, it was lovely to see the important role women play being recognised specifically.
“It isn’t just about making beer, which beer awards often focus on. The Women in Beer Awards cover communication, design, creativity and support networks, all of which are part of what makes beer so great.”
